Excerpt from The Early English Baptists, Vol. 1

The first attempt at a history of the denomination was made by Thomas Crosby. He was a deacon of the church in Goat Street, over which the excellent Benjamin Stinton presided, and kept a school in Southwark. His work is in four volumes, and is now somewhat scarce. Materials for a similar work had been collected by his pastor. These he placed in the hands of the celebrated historian of the Puritans. The unfair use, scarcely, indeed, the use at all, of the information by Mr. Neal, induced the author to write and issue his work. There is much valuable informa tion of men and events, of one of the darkest and most humiliating periods of our national history, con tained in this work. Crosby was probably conversant with some of the sufferers. His intimacy with the leading ministers in the metropolis was close. Keach and others had ministered to the church with which he was officially connected. From men, competent to speak, he has told us much which, otherwise, would have been lost. To the future historian this writer's work will always be of value.

Next in this field of denominational literature appeared Mr. A. Taylor. His work is in two volumes, and was issued more than half a century ago. It is avowedly a History of the English General Baptists. It contains a mass of important information in refer ence to this increasing section of the body, especially of the New Connexion, formed principally by the late Dan Taylor. Many of Mr. Taylor's conclusions will be found more than vindicated, by the documents which will appear in this and the subsequent volume.

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